What Affects Saiga Numbers

What Affects Saiga Numbers

An activity that encourages students to discuss what factors affect saiga numbers and how saiga can be conserved.

Introduction

The saiga is a critically endangered animal. Conservation of the saiga is important to ensure it does not become extinct in the wild.

Activity

Complete the table below to show what saiga antelope need to survive, the threats they face and how we can help protect them. You can use words from the suggestions list and also your own ideas.

Basic needs of the Saiga

Threats to saiga

How can we increase the number of saiga?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suggestions could be:

  • good quality grazing
  • a safe place to breed
  • food during the cold winter
  • hunting for meat
  • changing climate

Teachers Note

Encourage the children to come up with their own suggestions, especially for the column on actions that can conserve saiga. Older children might not need any suggestions at all.  

Discussion and Follow-Up

1. Collect all of the children's answers on a table, written on the school blackboard or large piece of paper.

2. What connections can you see between the answers in the three columns? For example, a safe place to feed > hunting for horns (ling yang, 羚羊) > stopping illegal hunting are all connected.

3. Divide the class into three groups. Ask each group to draw a poster showing all the suggestions from one of the columns.